Birdlip Primary School

Inspection of Birdlip Primary School Birdlip, Gloucester, Gloucestershire GL4 8JH

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Inspection dates: 30 November and 1 December 2022

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected 16 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection. 30 November and 1 December 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Birdlip Primary School is a welcoming community. Leaders and staff provide a high level of nurture in this safe and caring school. The values of ‘respect, resilience and kindness’ are deeply embedded. This helps pupils thrive socially and academically.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The headteacher, governors and staff have high aspirations for pupils. Everyone is committed to the school’s motto ‘helping each other prepare for a bigger world’. Pupils celebrate diversity. They understand the importance of accepting others for who they are. Pupils relish the chance to take on leadership responsibilities, such as librarians and house captains.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils care for and look after each other. Their behaviour is exemplary. As soon as children start in Reception Year, they follow the rules and routines. This continues as pupils move up the school. Bullying is rare. Pupils have complete confidence that any member of staff would deal with it quickly if it happened.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Every parent who responded to Ofsted’s online survey would recommend the school to others. Parents are particularly positive about the inclusive approach. They enjoy sharing in their children’s achievements via an online platform. Many commented on how staff motivate their children to aim high in all they do.

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better?

The interim headteacher leads by example with the best interests of pupils in mind. Staff share the same vision. As a small school, they have many roles and responsibilities. Despite this, staff feel supported and proud to work at the school. They unanimously agree that their workload and well-being are of paramount importance to leaders.

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better?

Leaders place reading at the core of the school’s curriculum. Staff use many strategies to promote a positive reading culture. From dedicated assemblies to library sessions, pupils develop a genuine love of reading. Teachers select high- quality texts to enrich pupils’ vocabulary and expand their general knowledge. Older pupils take inspiration from peer and staff reading recommendations. By the time they are ready for secondary school, pupils are avid and confident readers.

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better?

From the start of Reception Year, children grasp phonic knowledge quickly. Well- trained staff ensure that pupils read books matched to the sounds they know. This develops their confidence and fluency. Teachers assess pupils’ understanding regularly. They make sure that pupils who need help to keep up with reading receive it. No one gets left behind in learning to read.

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better?

Leaders have crafted a broad and ambitious curriculum to meet the needs of pupils in mixed-age classes. In most subjects, they have identified the important knowledge that pupils need to learn and revisit. For example, pupils recap multiplication facts in mathematics to help them complete calculations. However, 30 November and 1 December 2022

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where subjects are less well developed, such as geography, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge. They struggle to remember what they have learned before to help them with new learning.

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Adults know the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They offer timely and effective support to help them take part in the same learning as their peers. Most achieve well from their starting points. Nonetheless, the curriculum is not adapted well enough for some pupils with SEND. Occasionally, misconceptions go unnoticed and persist in pupils’ work.

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Pupils’ conduct in lessons and around the school is impressive. They know the importance of working hard and doing the right thing. Older pupils act as excellent role models for younger children. For example, they help them settle in school by being ‘lunch buddies’. Staff form trusting relationships with pupils. This means they can stop any minor friendship issues from escalating.

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Leaders are successfully growing a community of kind and responsible young citizens. They have developed a varied programme to support pupils’ wider development. For example, pupils are able to make informed choices about mental well-being, staying safe and basic first aid. Staff teach them to embrace differences and challenge stereotypes. Pupils talk enthusiastically about significant and diverse individuals they learn about in assembly. They enjoy the wide range of extra- curricular clubs on offer. Many like competing against other schools in sports.

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Governors know the school and community well. They have taken a measured approach to the recent change in leadership. Governors regularly visit to check on the effectiveness of leaders’ actions. They hold leaders and staff to account for the quality of education. They are well placed to bring about further improvements.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have instilled a culture of vigilance at the school. Staff and governors are well trained in safeguarding. They know how to identify and report concerns. Record-keeping is detailed. The designated safeguarding lead takes quick and appropriate action. This ensures that pupils and families receive the help they need. Leaders’ checks on the suitability of staff to work with pupils are thorough.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to keep safe online. They are confident that adults will listen to them if they have concerns.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, leaders have not made clear enough the precise content they 30 November and 1 December 2022

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want pupils to know and revisit. As a result, pupils do not build their knowledge securely in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that they identify the knowledge that pupils need to learn and revisit in all subjects as they progress through the curriculum.  Teachers do not adapt the curriculum well enough for some pupils with SEND. This means that these pupils do not learn the curriculum as successfully as they could. Leaders should make sure that all teachers have the expertise to adapt the curriculum for pupils with SEND so they know more over time.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 30 November and 1 December 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 25 September 2006

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller-than-average primary school.  There have been many changes in leadership since the previous inspection. The interim headteacher took up the post in September 2022.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders and a range of staff. The lead inspector met with the chair of governors and several other governors. He held a phone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and computing. 30 November and 1 December 2022

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For each deep dive inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors met with leaders and looked more widely at documentation in personal, social and health education, geography and art and design.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2, and 3 read to an adult.  Inspectors reviewed the school’s safeguarding documentation. The lead inspector scrutinised recruitment practice and records relating to safeguarding. Inspectors talked to governors, staff and pupils about how the school keeps everyone safe.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  The lead inspector considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free-text comments, and the pupil and staff surveys.

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Inspection team

Dale Burr, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Nicolle Deighton Ofsted Inspector 30 November and 1 December 2022

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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